Coffee 101: Coffee Shouldn’t Cost

As Much As Books

By Emily Weber

Coffee 101: Coffee Shouldn’t Cost As Much As Books

by Emily Weber

This e-book is licensed for your personal use and enjoyment. This e-book

may not be resold or given away to other people. Neither this book nor

any part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

means. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of

this e-book, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

The author thanks you for respectful use of this work.

Copyright © 2011 Emily Weber. All rights reserved.

Dear tired college students,

There are a ton of e-books about coffee out there, and they all start with

the same thing: “Coffee has a rich heritage brewed in years of science,

steeped in tradition, and spiced by entrepreneurs and artists alike.” Or

something like that.

The truth is that for most of us in high school or college, coffee is not an

art. We don’t have time to craft the perfect blend of java and espresso and

milk foam. Sometimes we don’t even have time to rinse out our travel

mugs between uses.

That’s why coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts make a killing

on us: they spend a small fraction of what they charge us for coffee, and

we’re too busy with our books and phones and laptops to notice.

Unfortunately, most of us can’t spend $3 or $4 for coffee every day, what

with our student loans, $200 textbooks, and car insurance payments.

We’ve been left out of the coffee culture until now. That’s why I’m writing

the book on coffee, but for college students who are planning to stay up

until 4:00 a.m. because our club meeting ran until almost 10:00 p.m., we

have two papers to write, three chapters to read, a lab report to finish,

feuding roommates to contend with and a mother who calls a few times a

week to ask why we aren’t getting more sleep.

Coffee is not an art form for most of us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t

enjoy our caffeine fix either.

Happy brewing,

Emily

TABLE OF CONTENTS This sample includes only a small portion of the content seen in this table. To purchase Coffee 101 in its

entirety, visit Amazon.com.

Why You’re Reading This Book Spicing Up Instant Coffee

Don’t Get Burned Make it Mocha Spice It Up Cool Down Top It Off Swap Out the Sugar

The Basics of Brewing

Buying Coffee Grounds Making Good Coffee Cleaning Your Coffee Maker

Coffee Made Easy

100 Calorie Coffee Café au Lait Vanilla Latte Mocha Coffee Mocha-Spiced Coffee Pumpkin Spice Coffee Spiced Brazilian Mocha Brown Sugar Caramel Coffee Winter Break Coffee Black Forest Cherry Coffee Hong Kong Tea Coffee Bad Hair Day Orange Coffee Iced Coffee Honey Iced Coffee Instant Greek Iced Coffee Chocolate Almond Iced Coffee Frappuccino Frosty Coffee

Dessert in a Cup

Nutella Crème Coffee S’Mores Latte Salty Caramel Mocha Viennese Coffee Holiday Eggnog Coffee

Caribbean Coffee Mexican Coffee Bailey’s Irish Cappuccino Chocolate Covered Strawberry Frulatte Banana Coffee Caffé Liegeois Coffee Granita Frozen Mocha Caffé Nutty Mudslide Chilled Coffee Punch Frozen Irish Coffee

Espresso If You Dare

Caffé Latte Truffle Latte Banana Mocha Latte Strawberry Latte Iced Latte Caffé Mocha White Chocolate Mocha Cappuccino Cappuccino Ciocolocino Caffé Conquistador Mochaccino Caffé Americano Polar Espresso Caffé Shakerato

What’s On the Menu

Coffee-Based Non Coffee-Based

Caffeine: Friend or Foe?

What is caffeine? What does caffeine do? How does caffeine addiction work? Are there any benefits to caffeine? Which is i t: Friend or Foe?

Coffee Blogs

Why You’re Reading This Book

We’re all busy. We have tests to study for, meetings to attend, and papers

to put off writing until the last minute. So it’s understandable that we

want to minimize extra reading. But if you’re reading this, chances are

you like coffee. And who can blame you? Coffee is delicious, it’s

customizable, and it can keep you awake and alert through your day. The

problem is that it’s also expensive, especially if you’re buying it from a

coffee shop or a kiosk on campus.

Do The Math

Let’s look at the numbers. At most chain coffee shops like Starbucks or

Dunkin Donuts, prices vary from city to city, but we can still use the

averages to get a basic idea of how much coffee can really cost you.

Let’s say you don’t have expensive taste buds—you’re only looking for

plain old coffee in the smallest size available. You order a small (or tall)

coffee, 12 fluid ounces, for $1.75. If you get a cup every day of the school

week, you’ll spend $8.75 a week. If you do this every week, you will

spend $35 a month, $122.50 a semester, and $245 a year. Even if you only

buy coffee two or three days a week, you’re still spending about $150 a

year. Keep in mind that’s the cheapest it can be, since most coffee shop

drinks are much more than $1.75 a cup.

If you’re splurging on a larger size or anything ending in “ccino,” you can

expect to spend hundreds of dollars a year. That’s comparable to what

you’re spending on books, except you can’t sell your coffee back.

The Good News

You don’t have to spend this kind of money, though. If you make most of

your coffee in your apartment or dorm, you’ll be saving a lot of money in

the long run.

How much you save depends on the kind of coffee you like. Brewed

coffee from a coffeemaker will cost about $0.20 on the dollar. If you plan

on adding creamer or toppings you may spend $0.45 or $0.50 on the

dollar, but that’s still much less than what you might spend at a coffee

shop.

Of course, you will have to buy a coffeemaker, coffee grounds (or beans if

you’re feeling adventurous), and a few other ingredients, but if you spend

about $15 a month on coffee and other ingredients, you’ll save around

$150 a year. The cost of the machine will pay for itself and then some.

That’s why making your own coffee yourself is a great idea. You can make

coffee exactly the way you like it, and you’ll save a ton of time and money

in the process.

Spicing Up Instant Coffee

If you don’t have time to wait for brewed coffee, or you don’t want to

invest in a coffeemaker, instant coffee may be for you. Most coffee

connoisseurs don’t like the taste of instant because it can taste bitter or

burnt if it’s not made correctly, but it takes less time to make than regular

coffee which makes it perfect for instant caffeine.

Don’t Get Burned

Instant coffee can come in packets like Starbucks VIA, tea bags, or a

container of granules. Preparation is easy enough: just measure out the

correct amount and pour almost-boiling water into the cup with the mix.

Make sure to let the water cool if it’s boiling in the kettle—boiling water

will burn the instant granules and make the milk bitter. Stir well, making

sure all the coffee is dissolved, and flavor with creamer, milk, or sugar,

however you like it.

You can also get more flavor from instant by adding a little hot water to

the grounds, just enough to dampen them, before you add the rest of the

water. If you use sugar, put it in with the grounds before you add the

water. Make a little slush out of the granules and sugar, then pour in the

rest of the water.

If you want to try something different to spice up your instant coffee, give

one of these methods a try.

Top It Off

Save a little room at the top of your mug for some hot milk and milk foam.

Pour about ¼ cup of milk into a jar or a microwaveable container with a

tight lid. Shake the milk for 30 seconds, remove the lid, and microwave for

30 seconds or until milk foam forms on the top. Pour the milk at the

bottom into your coffee and spoon the milk foam onto the top of the

coffee. This will make your coffee taste and feel more like a latte.

You can also add creamer to your instant coffee for extra flavor.

Unfortunately, creamer doesn’t form milk foam the same way milk does.

Swap Out the Sugar

There are other ways to sweeten your coffee besides sugar and creamer.

Other options to experiment with could be honey, brown sugar, maple

syrup, or flavored milk. A few drops of peppermint or vanilla extract will

also go a long way to perking up your morning joe. This is cheaper than

the flavored syrups that coffee shops use.

Coffee Made Easy

Café au Lait

A Café au Lait is equal parts hot coffee and steamed milk. The coffee needs to be brewed double

strong or you’ll end up with coffee-tinted milk. Don’t use espresso, though—that’s more like a

latte.

½ cup strong brewed coffee

½ cup milk

Pour the milk into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring

constantly, steam the milk for 3-4 minutes. Once the milk has steamed,

pour the milk and the coffee into the cup at the same time and drink

immediately.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

As soon as the weather begins to cool off in October, give pumpkin spice coffee a try. If you’re

making this at home or you like to bake, you might have pumpkin pie spice on hand. Add about ½

teaspoon in with the grounds for a stronger pumpkin flavor.

2 tablespoons ground coffee

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups of cold filtered water

Cream and sugar (optional)

Mix the ground coffee, allspice, and cinnamon together and place in the

filter of a drip coffee maker. Pour the water into your coffee maker and

brew the coffee. Stir in cream and sugar to taste.

Black Forest Cherry Coffee

This drink is inspired by German Black Forest cake which has layers of dark chocolate, whipped

cream, and fresh-grown cherries. Although this recipe doesn’t include milk, you could certainly

add some to make it more like a mocha latte.

8 fluid ounces hot brewed coffee

3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1-2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Whipped cream and cherries (optional)

Whisk together the coffee, chocolate syrup, and cherry juice until well

combined. Top with whipped cream and a cherry.

Honey Iced Coffee

This is a sweet variation of iced coffee that doesn’t need any sugar. It’s important to add the honey

to the coffee while it’s hot because it doesn’t dissolve nicely in chilled coffee.

8 fluid ounces brewed coffee

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup coffee iced-cubes, sweetened when hot

½ cup milk (optional)

If necessary, brew about 6 fluid ounces of coffee, sweeten it, and pour into ice cube

trays to make coffee ice cubes.

Brew a cup of coffee and stir 1 tablespoon of honey into it when it’s hot.

Make sure the honey is completely dissolved, then pour it into a glass or

pitcher, and chill it in the refrigerator for at least two hours. When the

coffee is chilled, add the coffee ice cubes and stir. You can add milk if you

want at this point.

Frosty Coffee

Special thanks to April Evans of Coffee Vanilla for the recipe for this smooth, delicious summer

drink.

½ cup strong brewed coffee, chilled for at least 2 hours

¼ cup milk

1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk

¾ cup ice cubes

2-3 teaspoons sugar, to taste

Pour all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Drink cold.

Dessert in a Cup

Nutella Crème Coffee

This is a recipe for delicious Nutella whipped cream that you can spoon onto coffee, but it’s also

great on ice cream or waffles. You can use canned whipped cream instead of heavy whipping

cream if you want, but you’ll have to whisk the melted Nutella mixture right into it very

vigorously since it will deflate quickly.

8 fluid ounces of hot brewed coffee

2 tablespoons Nutella

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Whisk together the hot coffee, 1 tablespoon of the Nutella, cocoa powder,

and sugar. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks in a chilled bowl. Place 1

tablespoon of Nutella in another bowl and add 1 teaspoon of the hot

coffee mixture. Whisk them together until the Nutella has dissolved, then

fold this into the whipped cream in the other bowl. Spoon the Nutella

cream onto your coffee and enjoy hot.

Holiday Eggnog Coffee

Most people think of rum as the traditional addition to eggnog, but it’s just as delicious with

coffee. If you have family over for a holiday meal, this is a great drink to make for the underage

crowd who still want to enjoy eggnog with the adults.

8 fluid ounces of hot brewed coffee

1 fluid ounce eggnog

½ tablespoon nutmeg (optional)

Mix together the coffee and eggnog until well combined. Sprinkle the

nutmeg on top.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

If you’re looking for a colorful birthday party drink, look no further than the sweet Chocolate

Covered Strawberry.

5 fluid ounces hot brewed coffee

½ shot strawberry liqueur

1 shot chocolate liqueur

Whipped cream & strawberry slice (optional)

Pour the strawberry and chocolate liqueur into a mug and add the hot

coffee. Float the whipped cream on top and garnish with whipped cream

and a slice of strawberry.

Nutty Mudslide

This is a delicious frozen drink that’s great for outdoor summer parties. Very few drinks use real

peanut butter, but a Nutty Mudslide manages it without being greasy or too thick.

½ cup ice cubes

½ cup softened chocolate ice cream

¾ tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

½ tablespoon Bailey’s Irish cream

½ tablespoon milk

Chocolate shavings (optional)

Place the ice cubes first and then the rest of the ingredients in a blender

and blend for 30 to 45 seconds until smooth. Serve immediately and

garnish with chocolate shavings.

Espresso If You Dare

Caffé Latte

If you have an espresso maker that allows you to steam your own milk, a latte is an easy drink to

make—just steam your milk, pour it into the espresso, and top it off with a very thin layer of foam.

1 shot espresso

6-7 fluid ounces steamed milk

Flavored syrup (optional)

Add steamed milk to a shot of espresso. A true latte has a very thin layer

of milk foam on the top. If you are adding syrup, pour the espresso in

first, then add 2-3 squirts of syrup, then the steamed milk.

Iced Latte

Because you’re only adding a shot or two of espresso to the milk, it’s not necessary to make coffee

ice cubes or chill the espresso. The cold milk and ice cubes will take care of the heat of the shots. If

you want a frappe, blend all the ingredients until smooth instead of shaking.

1-2 shots espresso

8 fluid ounces milk

2 cups ice

Sugar, to taste

Pour 1-2 shots of fresh espresso over the ice and add the milk on top. Put a

lid on the container and shake to combine everything thoroughly. Sweeten

with sugar if you want.

Polar Espresso

A Polar Espresso makes a great holiday drink. Give it a try on Christmas or New Years’ Eve.

1 shot espresso, chilled for at least 2 hours

1 shot white chocolate liqueur

½ shot peppermint schnapps

1 shot half-and-half

Whipped cream (optional)

Cocoa powder (optional)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the espresso, liqueur, schnapps, and

half-and-half; shake until combined. Top with whipped cream and cocoa

powder if desired.

Caffeine: Friend or Foe?

We can all remember those nights during finals week or before a big

paper was due: frantically working at the computer, listening enviously to

everyone else nearby heading to bed, fighting off drowsiness and the urge

to curl up for a quick nap. For most of us, a late-night coffee run factored

in somewhere, too. And then a cup in the morning, and a soda with lunch,

and before you know it we’re up late again. We’re not alone, though.

Ninety percent of Americans consume caffeine every day in one way or

another—coffee, soda, chocolate, tea, even some medications contain

caffeine.

What is caffeine?

Caffeine is trimethylxanthine, an addictive stimulant drug that works in

the brain the same way amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin do, although it

is much milder. It occurs naturally in many plants, including coffee beans.

An 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains over 100 mg of caffeine. This is

actually more than most sodas, which only contain about 50 mg of

caffeine in 12 ounces.

What does caffeine do?

Like other stimulants, caffeine creates a feeling of heightened energy and

alertness. What’s actually happening in the body is pretty interesting.

Our brains contain an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine, which

promotes sleep and is necessary for the body to achieve natural deep

sleep. Adenosine has special receptors in the brain that it fits onto like a

lock and key. When this happens, nerve cell activity slows down, and you

feel drowsy.

But when caffeine is introduced into the system, it mimics adenosine’s

“shape” and binds to adenosine receptors. But since it’s not actually

adenosine, cellular activity doesn’t slow down and cells can no longer

identify real adenosine.

Once the brain has started firing neurons faster, the pituitary gland sees

this activity as a need for the body to become more alert, so it tells the

adrenal gland to produce adrenaline, the “fight or flight” hormone.

Adrenaline causes the body’s breathing and heart rate to become faster

and blood vessels on the surface to constrict and increase blood flow to

muscles. The pupils also dilate, blood pressure increases, and the liver

releases sugar into the bloodstream for a boost of energy. This reaction is

the “jolt” that a cup of coffee can give you.

Which is it: Friend or Foe?

Caffeine’s role in your life depends on how much control you give it.

Again, the key is moderation. If your schedule forces you to consume

more than 300 mg of caffeine daily (about three 8-ounce cups of coffee),

you may be headed for trouble in the form of insomnia, nervousness,

stomach upset, elevated heartbeat, or even muscle tremors. This is before

you factor in the possible caffeine addiction and the withdrawal

symptoms associated with it.

What can you do to limit your caffeine consumption? Do everything you

can to make sure you don’t need to brew another pot of coffee or make a

coffee run at 2 a.m.:

Organize: Buy a planner or a calendar (or use Post-its, computer

software, anything that works for you) to keep track of your work. Write

down everything you’re assigned as you hear about it. Even if your

professor provides a syllabus with due dates, it’s still a good idea to pencil

everything in your planner. Make a note on your calendar a few days

before big tests or projects, so that there’s no way you can forget about

something important.

Don’t procrastinate: If you’re a chronic procrastinator, try to break up

big projects or assignments into little chunks a few days before it’s due.

Ask someone to help you get things done before the last minute, even if it

means skipping a party or leaving an event early. Promise yourself a

reward if you get something done the day before it’s due. Unplug your

router. Block Facebook. Do whatever it takes to avoid putting everything

off until the last minute.

__________________________________________________________________

Enjoyed this sample of Coffee 101? Look for it starting August 1, 2011 in the

Amazon Kindle store.